ever as to this life itself; that to live righteously, soberly, and godly (abstractly from some singular cases, as persecution, or the like) is the way to live joyfully even in this present world; that it is one and the same disposition of mind (that is, holiness and righteousness) that is best adjusted for the true enjoyment both of God and his creatures. Injustice and intemperance argue an immoderate love of temporal pleasure, and that is really the chief source of temporal perplexity and uneasiness. It causes painful impatience in desiring these objects, and painful labour in pursuing them, anxiety in possessing them, because they are always liable to danger; nauseousness and loathing in using them, because their pleasure is less in enjoyment than in expectation; and, little as it is, it is always decaying; and lastly, manifest vexation in losing them; and as such losses in the present state of things are unavoidable,, so the uneasiness is always proportionable to the love men bear to uncertain vanities; for so they may be called, though good things in themselves, when an immortal soul places its happi-ness in them. On the other hand, temperance enables a man to possess earthly objects without anxiety, by being prepared to lose them; to enjoy them without loathing, by using them with moderation; to seek them without impatience, and to lose them without despair.

This the ancient Epicureans were so sensible of, that though they were reckoned patrons of vice, because they placed happiness in pleasure, yet they madetemperance an ingredient of happiness, because it gives pleasure a relish. These, and many other things, serve to show that the pleasures men seek by a course of sin, may be had, and may be had with advantage, in a course of duty.

To this we may add, that there are many sins, in which there is no real pleasure at all. This is evident of those sins which do not consist in an unlawful enjoyment of the creatures, but in a direct affronting of the Creator. Thus it cannot be alleged, without the greatest absurdity, as well as impiety, that there is

any pleasure annexed to the sins of profaneness, blaspheming, mocking religion, censuring God's laws, word or works, or the like; no person ever pretended, that that common sin of cursing and swearing had any tendency to promote his health, or increase his estate: the Author of nature is infinitely free from annexing any pleasure to these unnatural practices: if men have made them in any sort pleasant to themselves by custom, all that this argues is, their outrageous con tempt of God, (for which he never gave them any cause) which is so great, that they take pleasure in expressing it. The same consideration might be applied, not only to the sins that are most immediately against the love of God, but also to these that are most immediately against the love of our neighbours, as hatred, wrath, malice, &c. These words or actions, by which a man wrongs his neighbour's reputation, by backbiting, or disturbs his peace by contention, have no proper tendency to promote a man's own peace or reputation, but the contrary. It is indeed otherwise as to those sins by which a man wrongs his neighbours' interest by injustice; but it is as true, that as the pleasures of intemperance may be had in a greater abundance in a life of sobriety; so the profits of injustice may be had much more safely in a life of industry: nor can any pretend to be under any necessity to injustice; for if a man be in such a condition (which however is very rare) that he can neither get the necessary means of sustenance by his own industry, nor by the charity of others, the indulgent laws of God make some things to be in that case just and lawful, that would not be so otherwise.

These things serve to prove, that there is no pleasure in nature peculiar to sin; it is no less certain that there is no trouble peculiar to duty: any man may fully satisfy himself of this, by taking a particular view of the several parts of true holiness. The love of God, and of our neighbour, which is the fulfilling of the law, is so far from having any trouble annexed to it, that it is the pleasantest disposition the mind of man is capable of; and is a demonstration of what the apostle John

teaches us, that God's commandments are not grievous. Many indeed have a strange aversion from these duties; particularly from the serious exercises of the love of God, which they avoid, as if it were a disease: but these are the exercises of heaven, where no trouble can enter and are real foretastes of it, as well as preparations for it. The antipathy men have to these duties, the more it is considered, the more it will appear unaccountable. No man can pretend, that the love of God tends to impair his health or waste his fortune, as the love of lusts and idols oftentimes do.

If a man's charity to his neighbour sometimes impairs his interest, yet it does not ruin, but rather tends to secure it; and it is certain, there never were so many impoverished by charity, as have been by debauchery and extravagancies, or even by covetousness, which so frequently loses what it has, by grasping at more. Faith, and reliance on Christ Jesus, do not cause. such shameful inpointments, as commonly flow from reliance on the world and the flesh. To be heavenlyminded does not eat away a man's flesh, as worldly anxiety does. Temperance does not lead to diseases, nor industry to poverty, nor humility to contention, nor honesty to shame. Meekness and kindness do not make a man pine away, as envy does: nor will a man blush for being found true to his word, and just in his dealings. It were easy, by taking a view of the other duties of a holy life, to shew, that not only there is no peculiar trouble in them, but that really in their own nature they have no tendency to trouble at all, but rather the contrary, as will be considered more directly afterwards.

There are perhaps only two particular duties, that may be objected against this assertion, viz. Repentance for sin, and suffering persecution for righteousness' sake, when called to it. As to repentance, it cannot be denied, but that both sorrow for sin, and mortifying corruption have some trouble and uneasiness in them; .but that trouble is neither the native fruit of duty and obedience, but of sin, nor is it peculiar to duty, and the pleasure of it surpasses its trouble; the uneasiness

that is in repentance, is not the fruit of obedience, but disobedience; because had mankind continued in their duty, there would have been no occasion for repen. tance; nor is the trouble, that is in this duty, peculiar to it; for impenitent sinners have consciences, which, like serpents in their breasts, can sting them, and cause more uneasiness oftentimes, than the deepest humiliation can give a believing penitent. Faithless remorse was far more painful to Judas, than goodly sorrow was to Peter. There are some kinds of melancholy, which human nature takes pleasure in; and surely the noblest, and most rational melancholy in the world is, melancholy for these unworthy actions, by which we have lost the chief perfection of our nature, the image of God; by which we have made such unbecoming returns to his infinite kindness, and forfeited his inestima ble favour, presence, and friendship: no wonder such a melancholy, as this, should have something of a sublime pleasure in it, since it is plainly an exercise of the love of God: besides, we should consider that that gospel repentance, which we are obliged to, ought to be joined with hope in God's mercy, through the merits of his Son; and hence it is, that by the exercise of the love of God, and hope in his mercy, (which are the sources of this sorrow, and the concomitants of it,) those that have most experience of it, when they attain to the greatest melting of heart that way, find suck satisfaction, that they desire more of it: their sin is the cause of their sorrowing, which is their duty, and that duty gives them pleasure and comfort; not that it can merit it, but that it is a mean of it.

As to that part of repentance, which consists in the mortifying of corruption, neither is the trouble of this duty peculiar to it. A wicked man oftentimes cannot gratify one corruption without mortifying another; the graces of God's spirit are linked together by a golden chain that cannot be dissolved; but the corrup tions of nature are full of contradictions and inconsistencies, and make the soul that is enslaved by them a Babel of confusion. The love of riches, the love of honour, and pleasures, pride, covetousness, vanity,

and luxury, justle and interfere in a thousand various rencounters. They are justly compared by Solomon to the daughter of the horse-leech, Prov. xxx. 15. Ever crying, "give, give," and to the grave, that never says, it is enough" so that if mortifying our corruptions be uneasy, the satisfying them is absolutely . impossible.

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As to the other duty, viz. Suffering for righteousness' sake, when called to it; this is neither a just objection against the doctrine, nor against the particular arguments adduced to confirm it. This will appear, by reflecting on what was hinted before, namely, that we are obliged in justice to distinguish carefully between God's actions, and those of his creatures; and that the same reasons which prove we cannot blame God for our own sins, prove also, that we cannot blame him for the sins of others. The reasons already adduced shew, that God is infinitely free from the blame of these evil inclinations in wicked men, that make them persecute others who are more righteous than themselves; and therefore it is the height of injustice in men to blame him for the persecutions they suffer though, after all, the best men know, that they suf fer infinitely less than they deserve: God is so far from being the author of persecutions, that in numberless instances he entirely prevents and hinders them in a very remarkable manner, and always restrains them, over-ruling them at the same time for the good of them that love him. We are not competent judges of the reasons why God does not hinder all as well as some of these, or the like fruits of sin; yet this much we may know of many persecutions by their visible effects, that of all the events in the world, there are few, perhaps, by which religion, that is, the true interest of mankind, has reaped more benefit, considering how they have been over-ruled by Providence, for promoting those very ends, against which evil men designed them, that is, the propagating and confirming of the truth, promoting the power of godliness, the trial, exercise, triumph, and splendor of grace in the saints of God, which are among the brightest events that have